Lu Keng ( born 1919 in

Baoshan, Yunnan Baoshan ( zh, c=, p=Bǎoshān ; ), historically also Yongchang ( zh, c=, p=Yǒngchāng), is a prefecture-level city in western Yunnan, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. Baoshan is the second-biggest metropolitan area in western Yunnan ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, died June 22, 2008, in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

) was a reporter for more than 60 years during some of the most turbulent times in

Chinese history The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

. As a journalist, he was banned both in

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. His articles criticised authorities and state leaders in the past, winning him the renowned title of "true journalist". He spent a total of 22 years in jail in China under both the Communist Party and

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

governments.South China Morning Post.
SCMP
" ''Controversial 'true journalist' Lu Keng, 89, dies in US.'' Retrieved on 2008-11-18.

Biography

Lu was nicknamed "Big noise" (大聲) and used the pen name "Chen Ji-sun" (陳棘蓀). He graduated from the

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

training programme at the Central Politics School and became the first radio reporter in China. He joined the field in 1940.Hong Kong Journalists Association.
HKJA
" ''Mourning Mr. Lu Keng (陸鏗先生), our Veteran .'' Retrieved on 2008-11-18. Stationed in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he won his early reputation through his interviews with

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

generals

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

MacArthur MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to: Arts and media * INSS MacArthur, a fictional starship featured in the science fiction novel ''The Mote in God's Eye'' * ''MacArthur'' (1977 film), a movie biography of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur * ' ...

and

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

. He moved to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in April 1978 and established Pai Xing (百姓), a Chinese-language bi-weekly magazine, with editor Hu Juren in 1981. He also taught at the

Hong Kong Shue Yan University Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU or SYU) is a private liberal arts university on North Point, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Founded in 1971 as Hong Kong Shue Yan College () by Henry Hu and Chung Chi-yung, it was unilaterally recognised as ...

and wrote a column in the

Hong Kong Economic Journal The ''Hong Kong Economic Journal'' (HKEJ) is a Chinese-language daily newspaper published in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Economic Journal Co., Ltd.. Available in both Hong Kong and Macau, the newspaper mainly focuses on economic news and oth ...

. He was married to Yang Hsi-chen.

Controversies

With Republic of China

Lu was promoted to editor of the China Times in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

after the war and then jailed by the Kuomintang after disclosing the corruption of senior officials

Kong Xiangxi Kung Hsiang-hsi (; 11 September 1880 – 16 August 1967), often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, also known as Dr. Chauncey Kung, was a Chinese banker and politician. He married Soong Ai-ling, the eldest of the three Soong sisters; the other two marrie ...

and Song Ziwen.

With People's Republic of China

His call for freedom of speech in 1957 once again landed him in jail, this time in the Communist Party's

Anti-Rightist Campaign The Anti-Rightist Campaign () in the People's Republic of China, which lasted from 1957 to roughly 1959, was a political campaign to purge alleged " Rightists" within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the country as a whole. The campaign w ...

. He was not freed until 1975. He said in an interview that his "optimistic character" helped him endure his long stint in prison. Lu interviewed Communist Party

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang (20 November 1915 – 15 April 1989) was a Chinese politician who was a high-ranking official of the People's Republic of China. He held the Leader of the Chinese Communist Party, top office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

on May 10, 1985, and published an article which touched on many sensitive issues and described Hu as an enlightened liberal likely to tolerate dissent. The article contributed to

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...

's decision to sack Hu in 1987. The Chinese government blacklisted Lu in 1990 and forbade him from entering the mainland for helping former Xinhua Hong Kong director

Xu Jiatun Xu Jiatun (; 10 March 1916 – 29 June 2016) was a Chinese politician and dissident. He was the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Jiangsu Province from 1977 to 1983 and the Governor of Jiangsu from 1977 to 1979. After sympathizing ...

(許家屯), who was exiled to the US for siding with reformist leader

Zhao Ziyang Zhao Ziyang; pronounced (17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He served as the 3rd premier of China from 1980 to 1987, as vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1982, and as the CCP general ...

during the Tiananmen protests in 1989.

Death

Lu died on June 22, 2008, in a hospital in

after struggling with a

blood clot A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...

in his

lung The lungs are the primary Organ (biology), organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the Vertebral column, backbone on either side of the heart. Their ...

s for 10 days. He was 89. His remains were sent to his hometown in

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

Quotes about Lu

"He was very proud of being a journalist and, in contrast to many who tend to become a senior editor after accumulating years of experience, he never thought it shameful to be a working journalist, even when he was old," said Li Pu, former

Xinhua Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official State media, state news agency of the China, People's Republic ...

deputy head. Senior journalist Yang Jisheng said Lu had "never bowed to power, never bowed to anybody, he was only responsible for facts".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Keng 1919 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Chinese journalists Writers from Yunnan People from Baoshan, Yunnan Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong